Elections 2008: What's your wishlist?

[Juan Powerblow]

There is already an ongoing discussion on the Club's direction in the Members' Lounge in conjunction with the Club's Elections on 29th March. However, I'm posting this topic here because forumers form the ultimate feedstock for club memberships and if you like where the club is heading, you would want to be part of its success. This can only happen if your views are also taken on board i.e. not just the views of existing members but also future members like yourselves. If not, how else is the Club going to grow? :top: What would you like to see in the Club? :smokin: To start the ball rolling, I would like the Club to achieve greater recognition among BMW operatives in Malaysia (BMW Malaysia Sdn Bhd, Auto Bavaria, Sapura Auto etc.) as well as other synergistic players. The present committee has achieved a tremendous milestone in getting the Club officially recognised by International Council of BMW Clubs in Munich but I believe this has yet to reach its full potential among local players. Right now, this is mostly confined to occasional "pasar malam" sponsorships when so much more can be done, the potential is just huge! It should encompass meaningful participation in all BMW's promotional activities as significant partners rather than as a little brother constantly in need of some "charity". For this to happen, the Club's committee must be strong. It has to be reputable enough to deal with other parties on even keel and to make a strong case for the Club's participation. I once told some friends in the BMW organisations that the best people to sell BMW cars are not their sales people but their customers! We form a horde of recurring buyers for BMW (I have owned 4 in my lifetime already and I'm sure some of you are even more recurring!). Don't you think we should be taken more seriously? Is there fault on the part of the BMW organisations or is it in fact the case that we have not represented ourselves to the best that we can? I'm afraid it could be the latter. The club and its committee are nothing without the support of members. For this to work in sync, the level of interaction between the club / committee and its members must improve significantly. I suggest the setting up of an efficient "service centre" for members. Already, there is a great infrastructure in the forum but the discipline of using this needs to improve i.e. the committee must diligently respond to members' concerns appropriately and even invite suggestions and inputs from members regularly on club matters. Also, as I said before, it is a fact of life that the committee can't do everything but with the right organisational skills, activities can be delegated to members with the club's encouragement and support. Again, this can only work if interaction between the club and members reach a much heightened state in the spirit of solidarity and cooperation instead of constant suspicions of meandering.. aiyaaa, you know, I know... no need for me to make this more of a thesis than it already is. There is some ongoing deliberation on constitutional matters. I feel for y'all who joined the club or forum recently and had no part in the drafting of this important document. The reality is this, the constitution or whatever rules must evolve to serve its members, not the other way round. I suggest a change of mindset on this issue and for an effective secretariat to look into this carefully. I'm in no way criticising the committee. They have done their best and this is just not the time to look back. Instead, we must look forward and recognise that if the club don't evolve towards betterment, we'll be left behind and it's gonna take a lot more to rebuild the momentum.

 

[astroboy]

Wow... ada ceramah pun..

If I may add.. membership fee must be the first to be removed! IT'S NOT JUSTIFIED! we don't need a full time salaried committee to service us! We are all BMW enthusiasts and I can offer myself to change your tyre for free if its needed! (labor only la!) ..

I know its a chicken and egg situation but seriously I don't see why the club must charge RM150 registration and RM150 annual fee..

THIS IS NOT A GOLF CLUB!! and yes, I have not join any golf club, yet I get to go to the green too.. yet, I don't pay RM6k for a club house facility and yet, I get to swim too in public pool for what? RM1?... I just want milk and I will pay for the milk.. but why buy a cow? ... see what I mean..?!

There are many enthusiasts here that wish the club to be run better than it already is.. I love to give u my vote but not the RM300..

HOW?!

We may all drives BMW but not many are fortunate enough to afford a golf club membership and HEY! how many can afford their BMW to be serviced at BMW service center?! Think about it!

You want my service and friendship? I have plenty to offer.. Chinese has one saying... "Talk about $$$, spoil relationship!"

I don't pay income tax also I get to VOTE in the recent 12th Election ma..

 

[jarance]

AB, I tell you what.. you go and form your own forum and provide free service to all mankind.. Maybe one day, an angel will come down and grant you all your wishes and also make your the rakyat leader..

 

[astroboy]

... or maybe I just pay up RM300 and vote u out..

Tell u all what!...

VOTE ASTROBOY !!

X
..AND THIS WILL BE YOUR LAST RM150 MEMBERSHIP PAYMENT!
ALL FUTURE MEMBERSHIP WAIVED! ABOLISHED!

... but first can someone sponsor my RM300 so I am eligible..

So what do the rest think? Come on, speak up your mind... or keep quiet for the next 24 months..

 

[ALBundy]

Brother AB,

Totally removing subcription fees is a little drastic and off tangent. I can certainly agree to reducing it, as soon as the club is on stable footing, financially with sponsors and tie-ups on the bandwagon. Man made laws are certainly amendable, not those from GOD:love:

Yes, your reason for not joining is valid, and hence its the job of committee to enhance the value of being an official member to entice people like you to be a part of the family.

Hope to see you as part of the Official BMW Club Msia soon.:thefinger:

 

[AlexNg]

AB!!!

sadly gua tak bayar, so gua tak boleh undi. although i nvr pay income tax but got vote too.

Total removal is kinda drastic, as joining still comes with goodie bag and such, so a review would be a suggestion from me.

i would like to see the club be like E90post, where the community is supporting the forum/club/TT through purchase made through its sponsors. and the sponsors are providing such good service!

i would also like a "sarcastic" filter to all forumers here. please be constructive. if u can't, don't type it alright? don't give the "if u wanna know pay me" or "if u dun like leave" like the past Gomen. its a forum, not a fight club

 

[astroboy]

Like that la!... talk first.. do or not, later decide la.. Not like others... "Huh! don't like our policy? Go fly kite!"

I know there must be a minimal membership payment policy to qualify a member under the ROC requirement but definitely not RM150/year la.

Its a good start! and hey! keep the finger to yourself.. :68:

 

[Juan Powerblow]

I agree with Albundy that to demand for fees to be abolished in its entirety is simply not sensible and seems to me like talking without thinking. I accept though that the fees should be justifiable vis-a-vis the Club's program / projections and if necessary, adjustments made accordingly. That's the more pertinent issue which if articulated properly should mean that accounting matters be made more transparent, this I certainly agree with. I was part of a team which helped to promote corporate governance and financial disclosure leading to some high profile casses of corporate misfeasance being made public last year.

In the end, it's up to everyone whether they want to be a full member and pay the fees, no one's forcing you, the Club owes you nothing! However, if you choose not be a full member, you need to respectfully know your place and be grateful for the facility availed to you FOC. Yes, this is not a golf club becos the Club is not conducting a business and even if you're a paid member, you're not a customer, you're part of a collective of enthusiasts.

 

[Cobra Kai]

I think the current committee has done a good job bringing the club to where it is today - particularly with regards to the status as part of the international club and this forum itself. I realise that as a forumer only I am benefiting from this resource, and I do appreciate the current committee / official members allowing forumers to participate.

I agree with your thoughts JPB & Alex that the club has potential to improve. The key reason why I have not joined to date is that the benefits of being an official member are not balanced with the cost. I would think that most members / forumers are business minded people and would be doing a cost benefit analysis in their own head when deciding whether to join or not.

There are 2 ways to rectify the problem and increase membership: reduce the cost of joining (or eliminate as suggested by AB) or increase the benefits of joining. I do not think AB's suggestion is viable as the club does need financing to operate - no such thing as a free lunch. It's a good target to eliminate fees in future when the club can financially sustain this, but it's obviously not feasible at the moment (unless AB has a list of potential sponsors lined up outside his door). At the end of the day though, I think many people would be willing to part with RM150 if they at least got that back through club benefits.

Therefore to increase membership, the club needs to look at how it can increase benefits. As JPB pointed out, closer tie-ins with BMW and it's local operatives would be a good start (e.g. why aren't official members being given an invite to the BMW F1 parties / events etc).

Closer links with sponsors would also be good. Personally, as a foreigner in Malaysia, if the club had a list of reputable sponsors with some discount / benefits for members I would definitely prefer to use their services rather than trying to find someone on my own.

Again, I recognise that it would take time to set up these kinds of benefits. However, whoever forms the new committee, it would be useful to see an action plan of what is going to be done in terms of increasing benefits, and some target timelines for this. Using the business man analogy, I would be perfectly happy to join the club as an investment if I could see that the club was moving in a positive direction.

I do not intend my comments to be taken as criticising anyone, but rather as an explanation of my current views of the club (and based on my interactions to date, the views of some others I have met). I hope that the official members will take some of the above as constructive advice when deciding the future direction of the club.

CK

 

[E46Fanatic]

Wah AB.. so brave, to bring up sensitive topic of membership fees. Its like talking about abolishing NEP in Malaysian politics lol. Only when you have a new leadership with new visions can you speak out on such things more freely without kena tembak. Best to just leave things be and enjoy our BlackID community hehe.

My vote for president of BlackID community will be Astroboy or David Yong.

*cabutz*

 

[astroboy]

Its a choice between 100 members paying RM300 each... versus 1000 members paying RM30 each.. unless u have limited flights in your golf course so u hike the entrance fee to maximise profit with the limited resources and of course to filter off the less affordable ones to maintain the image of the club.. now that's a businessman's view... and HEY! what about 10 members paying RM3,000 each?!

To me its just a difference of having 1,000 happy members vs 100 more happy members vs 10 extremely happy members..

 

[Cobra Kai]

Its a choice between 100 members paying RM300 each... versus 1000 members paying RM30 each.. unless u have limited flights in your golf course so u hike the entrance fee to maximise profit with the limited resources and of course to filter off the less affordable ones to maintain the image of the club.. now that's a businessman's view... and HEY! what about 10 members paying RM3,000 each?!

To me its just a difference of having 1,000 happy members vs 100 more happy members vs 10 extremely happy members..

I agree AB - if the club was being run for profit then you would set the fee structure as such. Not sure if this is what you are accusing the current committee of though?

However, my point remains that the club needs to seriously consider what motivates people to join. If you could find 10 members to pay RM3,000 each that's all well and good, but you still have to convince those 10 members to join and that means that those 10 members need to see or perceive RM3,000 worth of value in joining the club.

In my view, the ideal model is obviously 1,000 people paying RM30 each. But even to convince people to part with that much money you have to demonstrate that the benefits will match the cost.

CK

 

[jarance]

Sorry, guys for the stupid against Ab but it turns out there are sensible people out there who are not member but yet can offer constructive comment. kudos to you all. The club need members like you.

 

[Juan Powerblow]

CK, I appreciate your input which is consistent with why I started the thread here instead of in the Members' Lounge. It may not be feasible to adjust the fee at this stage since many have paid already, the issue of refund is not as simple as it sounds. Hence, the issue we should discuss is how do we get the benefits to match up. This is where you have your say!

I really resent the notion that I started a "ceramah" for the obvious reason that this is not a political party lah.

 

[David Yong]

Again, I recognise that it would take time to set up these kinds of benefits. However, whoever forms the new committee, it would be useful to see an action plan of what is going to be done in terms of increasing benefits, and some target timelines for this. Using the business man analogy, I would be perfectly happy to join the club as an investment if I could see that the club was moving in a positive direction.

CK

I have to agree with Cobra Kai on his statement. Whoever forms the new committee, it is important that they must work hard to get more corporate and sponsorship tie ups in the likes of Shell, Petronas, Auto Bavaria, BMW Malaysia, Sapura Auto, Bavarian Auto, etc & etc, bringing the club to the right & positive direction.

Just imagine when you flash your membership card (BMW Club card) to these companies and straightaway it entitles you with some form of discount or special privileges, would this entice you to join the club officially without thinking twice.

Well.... this may takes time to achieve but I feel it is achievable especially with strong leadership and vision of course. With such things in place, it will definitely entice more forummers/people to join in officially. By then, membership fee will not be an issue at all.

My 2 cents.

 

[Cobra Kai]

Whoever forms the new committee, it is important that they must work hard to get more corporate and sponsorship tie ups in the likes of Shell, Petronas, Auto Bavaria, BMW Malaysia, Sapura Auto, Bavarian Auto, etc & etc, bringing the club to the right & positive direction.

BMW and auto-related sponsorship would be an obvious start. There would also be an opportunity around sponsorship or tie-ins to non-auto related luxury items (watches, jewellery, fashion etc). Most of these luxury goods providers have large marketing budgets, and I would think they would be willing to spend a part of this on a very specific target market such as BMW owners.

CK

 

[Cobra Kai]

The club need members like you.

Happy to join jarance. Just work on the benefits :wink:

 

[XXX]

....but when your numbers are small nobody want to see you..then when you ask people to join they say join for what...headachelah...

 

[syahruln]

some people with very good england, typing skill, tok tok tok watsoever, only want free stuffs, etc should just be forumers (aka BMW Club Malaysia forum members). The club is not charging any fee wat... free ma... can enjoy a lot of things and still reap benefits.

But the rest with interest for friendship, challenges, driving, TT, etc, let's become the member of BMW Club Malaysia. Don't talk about benefit la... the experience itself already enough benefit. Want more benefit go buy insurance or medical card laa.

 

[XXX]

AB,

...seriously as a Malaysian Citizen paying taxes what benefit got...have to work our butts off to buy a car, road also have to pay tol, road tax have to pay , my son go school also have to go private school bcos gov school has gone to the dogs, so that means to say no need to pay income taxlah like that...but if dun pay also cannot...but since we want to be called Malaysian Citizen than we just payloh to be part of the community....along the way got some bonus like Gomen have Hari Raya open house lah, CNY open hselah then go and eat freelah...just like herelah you want to be a BMW Club Member than pay taxloh if dunwan just be foreignerloh...oooops ...Forumerloh. Want a lot benefit join AAM, Bonuslink Real Reward, SenQ Member, HSL Member. Mastercard member, Visa card member all got a lot of benefit one but thats after they have benefited from youlah...